Kristian Huselius
| birth_place = Österhaninge, Sweden | career_start = 1996 | career_end = 2012 | draft = 47th overall | draft_year = 1997 | draft_team = Florida Panthers | image = KHuselius.jpg | image_size = 230px }} Kristian Huselius (born on November 10, 1978) is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey player. As a fast, skillful playmaker, he typically played on the wings. Playing Career Kristian was drafted 47th overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers. He played in the Swedish Elitserien on teams such as Hammarby IF, Farjestads BK and Frolunda. Kristian began his NHL career in the 2001-02 NHL season. During the 2004-05 NHL lockout, he was signed as a free agent by Linkopings in Sweden on July 29, 2004. On February 23, 2005, Kristian was later signed as a free agent by Rapperswil in Switzerland. On December 2, 2005, he was traded to the Calgary Flames for Steve Montador and Dustin Johner. Kristian managed 39 points in 54 games, adjusting well despite fears by some analysts that he would not fit into Calgary's physical, defensive playing style In the 2006–07 NHL season, he held a point-streak of fifteen games, second-highest in the NHL that season. Kristian also garnered a career-high 77 points that season, scoring 34 goals and adding 43 assists. During the 2007–08 NHL season, he recorded his first NHL hat trick against the Tampa Bay Lightning. On July 2, 2008, Kristian signed a 4-year, $19 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He recorded 21 goals during his first season with the Blue Jackets and also scored a goal during the Blue Jackets first round playoff loss at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings. It was the Blue Jackets first ever appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Kristian missed the majority of the 2011-12 season due to pectoral surgery after tearing a chest muscle & suffering a groin injury in a game versus the Montreal Canadiens Following the 2011-12 season, he was released from Columbus. On August 23, 2012, Kristian stated that the Blue Jackets had rushed his recovery and that he didn't have enough time to recover. He also stated that he was forced into game action too early and that resulted in him pulling his groin muscle and forcing him to miss the rest of the season with a slow recovery. On December 17, 2012, Kristian was signed as a free agent by Solna in Sweden during the 2012–13 NHL lockout. After the lockout ended, he officially announced his retirement on January 8, 2013. Career Statistics Awards & Achievements *NHL All-Rookie Team (2002) International Play }} Kristian played for Sweden in the: *1998 World Junior Championships *1999 World Junior Championships *2000 World Championships *2001 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships (bronze medal) *2002 Men's World Championships (bronze medal) Personal Life Kristian's hometown is Haninge (which is a town near Stockholm, Sweden). On February 9, 2005, a 22-year-old woman accused Kristian and his fellow Swedish hockey players Henrik Tallinder and Andreas Lilja of rape. In March of 2005, all three players were suspended from the Swedish national team for one year. Kristian and Tallinder were released by Swedish club Linköping and Lilja was suspended by Swedish club Mora for the rest of the season. During that same month, a special prosecutor reopened the case and in June of 2005, they were cleared of the accusations after the special prosecutor ruled there wasn't any evidence that they had forced the woman to have sex. Category:1978 births Category:Florida Panthers draft picks Category:Florida Panthers players Category:Calgary Flames players Category:Columbus Blue Jackets players Category:Elitserien Category:Swedish ice hockey players